Display rack



1,634,804 July 1927' w. H. STANSFIELD DISPLAY RACK Filed March 11, 1924ZSheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR Jul 5,1927. 1,634,804

W. H. STANSFIELD v DISPLAY RACK Filed March 11, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 yINVENTOR J Patented July 5, 1927.

1 UNITED" STATES WILLIAM H. STANSFIELD, oE-nUBnnm NEWYoR DISPLAY anon.

' Application filed March 11, 1924, Serial No. 698,350..

This invention relates to display racks for use in stores and show roomsfor supporting articles to be displayed.

One object of the invention is to produce a rack of this character whichmay be shipped in knock-down form and may be readily set up or takendown by an unskilled workman.

, Another object of'the invention is to produce a rack of this. typewhich may be set upv in a, large variety of ways for supportingdifferent articles, or for enabling different groupings of articles tobe produced.

Another object of the invention is to produce a display rack of thischaracter, the parts ofwhich are detachable or adjustable, and which isstrong and rigid when set up in operating condition.

Vith these and other objects in view, the invention. comprises the noveland improved features, constructions and combinationsof partshereinafter-described and particulaly pointed out in-the claims,theadvantages of which will be readily under stood and appreciated by thoseskilled in the art.

The invention will be clearly understood from the accompanying drawingsillustrating the invention in its preferred form, and the followingdetailed description of the constructions therein shown.

In the drawings:

Fig. l'is a view in front elevation of a display rack embodying theinvention;

Fig.2 is a View partly. in side elevation and partly in section, takensubstantially on.

the:l1.ne22 of Fig. 1;;

-Fig. 3 is a sectional view illustrating one.

ofthe clamps for securing the parts of the rack together, takensubstantially on the line 3-3 of Fig.1, with the parts .Ofv the clamponly partially tightened;

. Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3;, show ing the parts of the clampcompletely tightened;

Fig. 5 is. adetail sectional. view taken substantially on theline 5,5 ofFig. 3; and.

' Fig. 6 is a perspective view illustrating one of the clamp members. Inthe form of the invention illustrated in the drawings of. thisapplication, the display rack comprises a pair of uprights or posts 2,3.series of crossbars 3,4 and 5 connecting these uprights. andlatlerally.extending bars 6 located at the base of the rack and a r, rangedtoengage-the floor or other surface upon which the rack is placed tosupport the bars 2 1n upright positions.

The bars 6 are inserted at their inner ends between two parallel sideplates of a bracket 8, and are secured in. any suitable manner betweenthese Plates. The brackets 8 are provided with sockets lOfat the base.thereof to receive the crossbar 3 which connects the lower ends of theuprights 2 The brackets 8, are also provided with sockets 12 locatedimmediately above the sockets 10 to receive the second crossbar 4.located above the crossbar 3'and parallel therewith, the crossbars 3 andi" being preferably positioned com paratively close together. i The basebars 6 are preferably arranged at a slight angle to each other asclearly'shown in Fig. 2 to insure the firm supporting of the rack uponthe supporting surface. f i v The crossbars 3', 4L and 5 are connectedwith uprights 2, so that they may be quickly andreasily attached to ordetached from the uprights to locate the Crossbars in any desiredposition. In the construction shown, the crossbars are connected to theuprights by clamps comprising relatively movable clamping jawspreferably carried by the crossbars and arranged to. embrace theuprights 2. Each of these clamps, in the present form of the invention,compr1ses"opposed clamping members 14 mounted on opposite sides of theend of a crossbar, and at-.- tached to the crossbar by a bolt 16,passing through an opening in oneof the clamping members and throughopenings in the cross bar, and threaded into the other clamping member.Each of the clamping members is provided with lateral flangesrl8overlapping the sides of the crossbar and fitting rather closely theretoto prevent theclamping members. fromv turning on the crossbar. Theclamping members areprovidedwith clamping jaws 20 which embrace theuprights or posts 2 and arrangedto grip the post. to. secure the endofthe crossbar to. the post.

Each of the clamping jaws is provided at its outer end with a; lip 22arranged to overhang: the outer side of the post 2, and spaced;

from the; adjacent edge of; the corresponding flange 18 toform a recessinto which the post Zfits closely.

Whenthe bolt 16 is. loosenechthe clamping, members, are loosenedrelatively to the crossbar on which they are mounted, and the clampingjaws 20 are freed from gripping ra ati onit the c rre pond ng P95? 2yTi-slitoning of the bolt 16 clamps the clamping members tirn'ily on thecrossbar, and also relatively actuates the clamping jaws to grip thecorresponding post The clamping members are preferably constructed sothat the tightening of the bolt 16 will tend to hri g; the clamping jawsQO slightly closer together than the width of the post 2, which isengaged between the jaws. In the particular construction shown, thisresult is accomplished by forming the inner surface of each of theclamping members which engages the crossbar, and inner surface of theclamping jaw which constitutes an extension of the former surfaceslightly concave on an arc :lrom the inner end of each clamping memberto the lip 22.

This manner of connecting the crossbars with the uprights 2 enables thecrossbars to be very readily attached to or detached tifrom theuprights, and also enables the crossbars to be adjusted to any desiredposition lengthwise of the uprights. By a comparatively slight turningof the bolt 16 the clamping jaws are freed from clamping engagement withthe corresponding upright 9, allowing the ready adjustment of thecrossbars longitudinally of the uprights '2, or permitting the removalof the crossbars from the uprights longitudinally oi: the uprights. Theconstruction of the clamping members enables the clamping jaws to bevery quickly and etliciently actuated to clamp the cros. Jars to theuprights. It is also to he noted that the clamping jaws are soconstructcd as ellectively to prevent, any relative angular movement ofthe crossbars and uprights in the common plane of these bars or indirections transverse to this plane. The parts of the clamps are soconstructed that the clamping jaws may be separated Sulliciently toallow the uprights 2 to be disengaged from between the clamping jaws bya movement of? the clamp transversely of the upright.

As shown in the drawings of this application, the racl: is provided witha. series oi supporting bars 2% for engaging beneath and supportingarticles to be displayed upon the rack. As shown in the drawings, thesebars 2d are attached to the upper two crossbars 5 and extendlaterallytherefrom. These supporting bars are secured upon the body of the rackby means of clamps preferably having the same construction as the clampssecuring the crossbars to the uprights, and in the drawings thecorresponding parts of all these clamps are indicated by the samereference numerals. The clamping memhers are mounted on the supportingbars an, as shown, and embrace and grip the upper crossbars. By removinga supporting bar 2% from a crossbar and turning the same through aquarter of a revolution, the clamp carried thereby may be placed inposition to receive one of the upright posts 2. Thus the supporting bars24; may be attached, either to the crosshars or to the up right posts,as desired, andmay be arranged to extend transversely of the body of therack, as shown in the drawing, or may be located so that they extendfrom the crossbars or the bars 2 substantially in the common plane ofthe upright bars and crossbars.

The present display .dUk may be shipped in knockdown form so that itoccupies very little space in shipment, the crossbars then beingdetached from the upright bars 2 and disengaged from the brackets 8, andthe supportingbars 2i also being detached. In selling up the racle thecrossbars 8, 4i and 5 are. p reterably attached to the upright post 2,and the brackets ll with the laterally extending base bars 6 are appliedto the crossbar 3, this -rossbar being engaged in the sockets ll). Thecrossbar 4C is then engaged in the sockets l2 and its ends secured tothe post 2. This completes the setting up of the rack, except for theattachment of the supporting bars These supporting bars may be up pliedat any desired point on the rack and clamped in position. that the rackmay be quickly and easily set up by any unskilled person. Practicallyall the mechanical operation that is required in setting up the rack isthe tightening of the bolts 16, which may be conveniently per- :lormedby means oi a suitable socket wrench. The disassen'lbling of the partsof the no]; also may be just as easily and conveniently accomplishedwithout the exercise of any mechanical skill. The parts of the rack arealso capable of a large variety of adjustments, and the relativeadjustment of the parts is ctlected with great ease and convenieac Anydes red number of erossbars may be employed, and these crossbars may belocated at. any desired height. The supporting bars 24- may be attachedto the crosshars 5 so that they extend horizontally from the bars, butfor supporting some special articles the supporting bars may be attachedto the crossbars so that they extend vertically from the erossbars.

The various bars of which the rack is made up are preferably ofpolygonal cross-section to secure regidity. In the best form of theinvention which has been devised, these bars are of rectangular crosssection and may be made of hollow metal tubing.

One of the principal advantages secured in the present construction isthe high degree oi rigidity and strength of the rack rendering itcapable of supporting heavy loads and enabling it to stand up well withlong continued use. This is due chiefly to the construction provided forsecuring the bars of the rack together.

The present construction enables a large Thus is will be seen llll 'poses;

It is to be understood that the invention is not limited to theparticular construction and arrangement of parts of the illustratedembodiment of the invention, but that the invention may be embodied inother forms within the scope of the claims.

Having explained the nature and object of the invention and havingspecifically de scribed a device embodying the invention in itspreferred form, what is claimed is:

1. A display rack structure comprising two bars of similar polygonalcross-section, a clamp mounted on one of the bars for clamping the sameto the second bar, said clamp comprising opposed clamping members, eachhaving lateral flanges for engaging the sides of the first bar, jawscarried by said clamping members for embracing the first bar, and a boltextending through the clamping members and first bar for holding theclamping members to the first bar and for relatively actuating theclamping members to clamp and unclamp the bars.

2. A display rack structure comprising two.

angularly arranged bars adapted to be connected together, a. clampmounted on one of the bars and arranged to embrace the second bar toconnect the bars together, comprising opposed clamping members, eachhaving lateral flanges for engaging the sides of the first bar, jawscarried by said clamping members for embracing the first bar, and a boltextending through the clamping members and through the first bar forconnecting the clamping members to said bar and for relatively actuatingthe clamping members to clamp and unclamp the bar, the parts of theclamp being separated even when in limited clamping positions.

3. A display rack structure comprising two bars arranged angularly withrelation to each other and adapted to be connected together, a clampmounted on one of the bars and arranged to embrace the second bar forclamping the bars together, comprising opposed clamping members mountedon the first bar and having jaws arranged to embrace the second bar, anda bolt extending through the clamping members and through the first barfor securing said members to the first bar, and for relatively actuatingthe clamping members to clamp and unclamp the bar, the clamping membersbeing constructed to tend to cause the contraction of the jaws closerthan the width of the second bar by the actuation' of the bolt.

4. A display rack structure comprising two angularly arranged barsadapted to be connected together, a clamp mounted on one of the bars andarranged to embrace the second bar to connect the bars together,comprising opposed clamping members, and a bolt extending through theclampingmembers and through the first bar for connecting the clampingmembers to said bar and for relatively actuating the clamping members toclamp and unclamp the bar, the parts of the clamp being separated evenwhen in limited clamping positions.

Signed at New York city, New York, this 3rd day of March, 1924.

WVILLIAM H. STANSFIELD.

